My Liver Donation Story: Kristie Sue Hathaway

I donated my kidney in February 2021, and that went so well that I just felt like I wasn’t done yet. I knew that if I had more kidneys to give, I would give more kidneys. So I decided to move forward with liver donation.

I went through the process to get approved in December 2023. I knew that I had a vacation and a wedding coming up, so I told them I would be available anytime after mid-April.

They found me a well-matched recipient pretty quickly, and I donated on May 23, 2024.

My recovery was more intense than the kidney donation. I was off work for 12 weeks, so I didn’t have to rush back into anything, which was really nice. I didn’t end up using Donor Shield because as a longtime Minnesota state trooper, I was lucky to have enough sick time. If I worked an office job, I could have gone back within a month.

They cleared me to run after six weeks, but I still had a lifting restriction. I was back to 100% by September, and in October, I ran a 10-mile race.

After my donation, Mayo did an article about my donation that was shared internally with the state patrol. They had gotten the recipient to comment in the article, and through that I found out that my liver recipient was the wife of a cousin of one of my coworkers.

I am friends with her on Facebook, but she’s not super active. I’m not in close contact with the person who got my kidney, either. I knew going in that that was a possibility, and that’s fine. I wouldn’t want the recipient to feel any pressure to communicate with me or feel that they need to disclose to me why they needed a transplant. That’s a very personal thing—they don’t owe me an explanation.

About the Author

Kristie Sue resides in Burnsville, Minnesota, along with her husband, Steve, and their golden retriever, Charlie. Her hobbies include running and cycling. She has completed five marathons and enjoys cycling in multi-day charity riding events. In addition to endurance sports, Kristie Sue enjoys spending time outdoors camping, hiking, and canoeing with her husband and Charlie.